What should I know before moving to preferred status?

[PresentTense]

I am a founder and a subscriber since launch. I've completed all 16 advanced classes through at least level 55, I've been through multiple ops gear cycles and I've finished KOTFE on several toons. In short, without a reason to start new characters (such as new advanced classes) or a reason to push more characters through KOTFE, I'm running out of things I'm interested in doing.

 

To that end, I'm looking at finally ending my subscription when my current billing cycle wraps up at the end of January. I can live with access to just a couple of characters, and I have all the cartel coins I need to buy any unlocks. However, before I cross that bridge, I was hoping those of you who have gone before me could answer some questions.

 

- Dropping to preferred will move several million credits into escrow. If or when I resub, do I get these credits back automatically, or will I still have to pay to get them out of escrow?

 

- Should I buy cartel market unlocks such as the artifact equipment authorization before shifting to preferred? Will my gear fall off of me if I don't, and will it go into my inventory or be mailed to me?

 

- How are crafting skills affected? I know I will no longer have three per character. Does one get locked out, or does one get removed? Would buying an added crafting skill before switching to preferred be a good idea?

 

- Is there anything else I should know about moving to preferred that I'm not thinking of? Thanks for your help.

[Kheldryn]

I am a founder and a subscriber since launch. I've completed all 16 advanced classes through at least level 55, I've been through multiple ops gear cycles and I've finished KOTFE on several toons. In short, without a reason to start new characters (such as new advanced classes) or a reason to push more characters through KOTFE, I'm running out of things I'm interested in doing.

 

To that end, I'm looking at finally ending my subscription when my current billing cycle wraps up at the end of January. I can live with access to just a couple of characters, and I have all the cartel coins I need to buy any unlocks. However, before I cross that bridge, I was hoping those of you who have gone before me could answer some questions.

 

- Dropping to preferred will move several million credits into escrow. If or when I resub, do I get these credits back automatically, or will I still have to pay to get them out of escrow?

 

- Should I buy cartel market unlocks such as the artifact equipment authorization before shifting to preferred? Will my gear fall off of me if I don't, and will it go into my inventory or be mailed to me?

 

- How are crafting skills affected? I know I will no longer have three per character. Does one get locked out, or does one get removed? Would buying an added crafting skill before switching to preferred be a good idea?

 

- Is there anything else I should know about moving to preferred that I'm not thinking of? Thanks for your help.

 

I took this path once, and resubbed 2 weeks later.

 

The credits move to escrow, if you resub you get them back automatically

 

Any equipment you have equipped will remain equipped. If you remove it for any reason "Then" you'll need to buy authorization to re-equip it.

 

As a former sub, you will loose 1 crafting slot (Skill level in it remains, just can't use one) You will get to choose which one gets turned off.

 

Also keep in mind you also earn less credits and less XP (75%), No rested XP for being in a Stronghold or Cantina or other safe Area. You already know about the character limitation.. 6 I believe for a former sub (+ any you got from buying extra character slots)

[PresentTense]

That is exactly the information I needed. Thanks!

[Sigvaldson]

What happens if you got more than 6 characters an then drop to Preferred? Do you get to keep the # of characters over the limit or do you have to choose which ones have to go?

[GythralSWTOR]

What happens if you got more than 6 characters an then drop to Preferred? Do you get to keep the # of characters over the limit or do you have to choose which ones have to go?

 

You keep all the characters, you just have to choose which few you can play

[SteveTheCynic]

You keep all the characters, you just have to choose which few you can play

And that "few" is 6 plus the number of additional slots you have bought, I think to a maximum of 16 or so. Prior to 4.0 it was always 6 fewer than the total number of slots you have (6-16 instead of 12-22).

[abigfishy]

What happens to your level cap if you move from sub to pref?

 

Also what about the expansions like Hutt Cartel and Revan, can you still do them?

 

Finally for characters that have finished Chapter IX of KOTFE what happens to them once you are locked out of KOTFE? Do you keep your extra companions? Can you still go to Odessan? Can you still do Star Fortresses?

[fedemadrigal]

You keep all of the current game expansions and the current max level 65 currently, but you will have to pay for any future expansions. You have access to all of the content at the point you go prefferred including FP and OP. Operations will required a weekly pass, Warzones only 3 per week unless a weekly pass, Flashpoints as many as you want but only 3 boss drops per week unless a weekly pass.

 

Something nobody has said ether is that you loose 3/4 of the races when making new characters. You keep the ones you already made but if you try to create a new character, you don't have any of the alien races.

 

You can buy unlocks for most of the stuff on the GTN or with cartel market, but the 350k credit max is hard to work with. On mail, you cannot mail credits and only one item at a time too.

 

Y

Edited January 4, 2016 by fedemadrigal

[PorsaLindahl]

A few things I didn't notice mentioned: Additional authorizations - Hide head slot and display titles.

 

Something nobody has said ether is that you loose 3/4 of the races when making new characters. You keep the ones you already made but if you try to create a new character, you don't have any of the alien races.

 

If you've purchased Cathar and Togruta unlocks, you'll keep those.

Edited January 4, 2016 by PorsaLindahl

[SteveTheCynic]

Something nobody has said ether is that you loose 3/4 of the races when making new characters. You keep the ones you already made but if you try to create a new character, you don't have any of the alien races.

If you have unlocked a race by reaching level 50 or by buying it in the CM, you can still use it after you drop your sub.

[GalacticKegger]

What I found with the help of others: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=8692411#post8692411 Edited January 4, 2016 by GalacticKegger

[Transcendent]

- How are crafting skills affected? I know I will no longer have three per character. Does one get locked out, or does one get removed? Would buying an added crafting skill before switching to preferred be a good idea?

 

You activate the crafting skills you wish to use, also worth noting is that you lose the queue ability for crafting (so only one item at a time), it also reduces the amount of companions you can use to craft at any one time.

 

If you've previously unlocked inventory slots / gtn slots using the unlocks (not the interface credit option) then you get to keep those, something worth bearing in mind (otherwise it gets mailed to you).

 

Something to also bear in mind moving to pref. status, if you have used a referral link you get these unlocks per character - Unlock: Inventory Module, Unlock: Crew Skill Slot, Customization Control: Display Titles, Customization Control: Unify Colours. Potentially saving you some CC. (I have, thanks TUXs )

 

Also worth doing is using your credits to buy account wide unlocks from the GTN, again saving you some CC. Once those unlocks are applied (you have to move to pref. first for most of them aside from GTN / Inventory unlocks) you keep them if you switch between pref. / sub in the future.